PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Tan Wee Kiong and Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayub advanced to the semi-finals of the Japan Masters, while singles ace Lee Zii Jia exited the tournament.
Wee Kiong and Azriyn achieved an impressive 21-19, 21-19 victory over Taiwan's two-time Olympic champion Wang Chi-lin and his new partner Chiu Hsiang-chieh in Kumamoto on Friday (Nov 15).
The veteran independent duo reached their first-ever World Tour Super 500 semi-final and will face 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi, the home favourites, for a spot in the final.
World No. 7 Zii Jia's journey ended after a hard-fought 21-12, 18-21, 18-21 defeat in 64 minutes to Indonesia's world No. 6 Jonatan Christie.